Jordan Offutt (BS in Geology, 2013)

I graduated from CWU in December of 2013 and scored a job working for the U.S. Forest Service on the Malheur National Forest in the spring of 2014.

I work as a hydrologic technician collecting field data on streams, springs, and overall watershed conditions and analyzing it for use in NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) projects. I use the knowledge I learned in Fluvial Geomorphology and Hydrogeology every day. I have also been really fortunate to gain awesome experience working in Soils, Range, Silviculture, Fuels, and started working on wildland fires in 2015 as both a firefighter and a GIS Specialist. I use GIS for almost everything I do and definitely suggest taking as many GIS classes as possible!

I was unsure of what I wanted to study when I started out at CWU and after GEOL 102: Geology of National Parks with Nick Zentner my future was decided! I am so thankful for my time spent in the geology program and the incredible education I walked away with especially considering that I was a student athlete, many professors worked extra hard with me to manage the course load with my athletic schedule.

AND if working outside every day and getting a wide range of experiences sounds interesting to you then I highly recommend the USFS. Go Cats!